PANAJI: In a move to ensure voting rights to the non-resident Indians (NRIs) spread globally, Congress party has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Union of India for granting online or postal ballot voting rights to the NRIs.
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Union government to respond to the petition within eight weeks.
Addressing the media in the Congress office in Panaji, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Luizinho Faleiro informed that the party’s NRI Global Goans Cell, represented by its president Simon D’Silva, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court.
“This government is in the process of taking away the voting rights of Goans, who are overseas. Goans do not get jobs as desired or the unemployed are unable to get an opportunity to be self reliant and, therefore, they have gone abroad for better prospects,” he said.
He said that an estimated 5 lakh Goans are residing outside the country, out of which a substantial number of around 50 per cent are residents in the Gulf and Middle East countries.
He further said, “The petition filed by Simon D’Silva has sought the indulgence of the Supreme Court of India for passing an appropriate order and direction to the Union of India so that Goans and Indians, who are residing outside the country are granted online or postal ballot voting rights.”
Faleiro said that the Supreme Court Division Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice T S Thakur heard the petition on November 18. “I am very happy that the Supreme Court under the Chief Justice has issued notice to the Union of India to reply within eight weeks,” he added stating that the Election Commission has already submitted its recommendation for granting voting rights to the NRIs.
Taking a dig at the Goa government’s policies, GPCC president said that the state’s economy after the collapse of the mining activities is surviving only on the foreign remittances by the NRI Goans across the world. “There is only one that helps sustain the state’s economy and that is the money order in the form of foreign exchange by the Goans, who are living abroad and sending millions back to the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the app-based survey by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of demonetisation, Faleiro said that the survey is being carried out amongst the corporate and not the millions, who have been standing in queues outside banks during the last 15 days.
“These people, instead of talking through surveys, should see the suffering of the people of the country. After 86 per cent of the currency is removed from the system, there is bound to be suffering and it will affect the economy of the country. India is not a plastic economy and cannot become a cashless economy. Do not make the life of the farmers and poor more miserable,” he said.